Madeleines

”What’s life if you can’t dip a cake into tea…” , Marcel Proust , ‘In Search of Lost Time’.

Madeleines are one of those little things that can brighten my day. Soft, light and so delicious. All kids love them !!

The quantity you see below makes about 12 Madeleines, so most of the time I double it. If you don’t have Madeleine Mold, you can use muffin (patty) tin instead.

This recipe Michael Vanheste’s recipe and I hope you will love it as much as I do !

Ingredients:

120g|4 oz lightly salted butter

2 medium eggs

100g |3 oz caster sugar

60g | 2 oz plain flour

40 g | 1 1/2 oz ground almonds

1 orange, zested

Method:

1.Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan assisted). Gas mark 5.

2. Use the butter to make a ”beurre noisette”.

3. In a metal bowl, whisk the egg with the caster sugar until the mixture has become light and airy.

4. Sift the flour and ground almonds into the bowl and gently fold into the egg mixture together with the lemon zest. Finally, gently stir the beurre noisette through the mixture. Leave to rest for about an hour if you have the time, this will allow the gluten in the flour to relax, ensuring the cakes are light.

5. Brush the moulds with melted butter and dust with flour. Spoon the batter into the madeleine moulds filling them until 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and springy to the touch.

6. Leave to cool in the mould for a while until cool enough to handle and then turn out onto a wire rack.